Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Going on another 6 weeks in Folsom!

Transfers are IN!!! I AM STAYING IN FOLSOM WOOHOOO!!! This will be myfirst area that I will be 6 months in....I have been waiting my wholemission for this!! Sister Briggs and I are happy to be stayingtogether :)So, President Jardine is kind of on this kick of changing everythingsince we are the "new" California Sacramento Mission and all.Therefore, he changed how transfers are. We get calls Saturday nightif we are staying or leaving. If we are leaving, we do not get toldwhere. You have Sunday to tell your wards bye at church (which will beSO nice), and everyone transferring and their comps meet at themission office Monday morning and they do this whole thing on whereeveryone is going! Since we both stayed, we didn't get to go so we arein the dark with where everyone is...I hate it!! you all know how Ihave to know everything!!!! I am awaiting emails from all my friendsof where they are. Because word on the street is that Sister Campbellwas made a Sister Training Leader and is companions with Sister Wright:) YAYA!!! they were talking about wanting to be comps at Coloma lastweek. haha so funny. glad my besties are comps. so fun! glad my sistercampbell will be at the leadership meetings with me every month...theywill be so much more enjoyable! Sister Campbell, I know you arereading this...and I all have to say is...welcome to the CPM :) Atleast, I hope that is what you called it.....This week was FULL OF MIRACLES I TELL YOU!!! That is why I wasfreaking out all week about getting transferred!!!!!!!! Ugh. so gladthat stress is over. So Tuesday, I was on exchanges here in my areawith Sister Kauvaka (Sister campbell's baby). We were biking and therewas this less-active who I had tried a million and 1 times and she hadnever answered. I decided to take like a month off, and since it hadbeen a while, as we biked by, I thought to try again. Well, sheanswered! I do not think she realized she answered to the missionarieslol. Anyways, we told her we were inviting her to the relief societyactivity and she started talking to us and invited us in and thenproceeded to tell us her life story. I just felt the spirit workingthrough me to tell her what she needed to hear. It is the best feelingever when I can just be that conduit for God to work through!Basically, she wants to be active again and go through the temple. Itwas awesome! I havent had a ton of reactivation work on my mission, soI am excited for this! Small world...Sister Parkinson, I mean Hannah(so weird, I cant call you that), we made the connection that me andyou taught her father-in-law in Green valley!! haha don custis!!!! sofunny. I was dying. When I realized her last name and that she used tolive in Cameron Park, I asked if they were related and she said it washer husband's dad! Her husband isnt a member.Okay so for the other big miracle this week. Same day....we werebiking back to the house to get the car before dinner because I hadkilled poor Sister Kauvaka out on the Folsom hills (I think thesisters hate exchanges with me in folsom haha) and I decide to ridethrough this park by our house to see if anyone is there to talk to.There is a man and woman there and the man is on the phone. I trytalking to the woman, but she said she is listening to his call andtold me to wait. We stood there awkwardly waiting, and she finallycame over. She told us she grew up in Texas and is looking for achurch here. Everything she said she wanted like MATCHED OUR CHURCHPERFECTLY. Her husband came over and goes, "tell me about this JohnSmith guy." In my head im like "oh great." I explain how God hasALWAYS called prophets (read the Old Testament) and that God hasreached out to His children once again and that we are led by aprophet today. I told him that we do not believe prophets are aboveJesus Christ in any way. They are just like Abraham, Noah, Moses---allthe prophets of old. We worship Jesus Christ as our Savior andRedeemer. After we got that all cleared up, I was freaking out ofhappiness telling them to please let us teach our first lesson becauseit would totally click everything for them. They were totally downfor it! They have a 7 year old son, btw. Cute little family :)We met them at the church on Saturday and showed them around andtalked about Sunday services. They wanted the first lesson so wetaught them the Restoration. the spirit was SOOOO STRONG. After theFirst Vision, we asked how they felt and they said they felt peace andthe spirit. The wife talked about how it totally makes sense to her.She also wants a church that is close and like a family to her. It allis just awesome! that night they came to the Stake Pioneer dayactivity and LOVED IT! They kept saying how nice everyone was. Theirson got sick, so they couldnt make it to church, but they are excitedto come next week!So this is why I was freaking out for transfers. I was like, would Godlead me to this family then rip me away!??! He didn't so I am onehappy missionary :) This family is in 2nd, which hasnt had much goingon since the Lane's so we are happy. Susan is in 4th ward. She isdoing awesome :) Getting baptized Aug 29!!! so many great thingshappening here in Folsom. This transfer FLEW, so I am scared for thisrest.This last transfer was one of my favorite. I have changed a lot in mypriorities as a missionary. I have become a LOT LESS intense anddriven and have really focused on the Lord and just doing His will. Itfeels good to do "right for right's sake." I am grateful for theopportunity to serve out of a love for God and my Savior. I want to doall things for Them and no one else.PS MY BABY NIECE CAME INTO THE WORLD AND BOY AM I HAPPY!!!!!!! Ittears me apart that I cannot hold that little nug. Good thing allthese miracles distracted me as my mom sent me a bigilloin picturesall week. She will carry my name on well :) Congrats Annalee andMychal and to mom & dad for being grandparents! i love the video yousent of daddy rocking Genevieve. It made me almost cry!! you can seein his face how much he loves her!! cant wait to meet that little rayof sunshine. I show pictures of her to everyone i come into contactwith :)

Have the best week!!!! We have so much to be grateful for! I cannotbelieve the summer is coming to an end. Time needs to stop passing!!!

Love,Sister Hickman

welcoming baby Genevieve into the world on Julyy 22 :) I am one proudAuntie!!!! Cannot wait to hold my little namesake!

welcoming baby Genevieve into the world on Julyy 22 :) I am one proudAuntie!!!! Cannot wait to hold my little namesake!

Transfers are hard for the Folsom Zone....we are happy because all thesisters are staying :)

This is the cute family of one of my ward mission leaders. I lovethem! I took a picture to get prepared in case I got transferred. But,I am still here :) I am sending it to show that I CUT ALL MY HAIROFF!!!! I want it to be long by the time I come home in 6 months, so Idecided to chop it.

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Time Until I'm Home!

Sister Genevieve June Hickman

About Me

I am serving a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am serving in the California Sacramento Mission from July 2014-January 2016.

FYI

I will be able to check my email, which is listed above, once a week for one hour. You can also mail letters to the address below, and the Mission Office will forward them to me in whichever area I will be serving in during that time. I would love to hear from y'all!